Builders and home owners are frequently looking for just the right exterior surface for their buildings. Currently, however, the choice of finishing systems available is fairly restrictive. Two of the more popular choices in tenus of appearance are brick and stone. However, natural stone is simply too expensive for use on anything other than a small number of applications where the market can bear the cost. Even brick has become too expensive for the low and middle class housing market. As such, builders typically look to cheaper vinyl and aluminum siding as the alternative. However, those materials are rarely considered as pleasing exterior finishes. Therefore, there exists a demand for an affordable alternative product, one which is aesthetically pleasing, requires little maintenance and, most of all, is easy to install, either during the building stage or as a renovation project.
In its co-pending Canadian Patent Application Ser. No. 2,107,847, applicant describes a composite building panel which meets this demand. The present invention is related to an apparatus for use in the installation of a composite building panel such as that described in applicant's co-pending Canadian patent application and to a method of using that apparatus in the installation of such a panel.
The prior art describes apparatus and methods of installing a variety of sheet wall panelling, building tiles and concrete slabs using discrete clips and adhesives. Reference is made for example to U.S. Pat. No. 2,120,195, of Valenti, issued Jun. 7, 1938, U.S. Pat. No. 90,924 of Fisher issued Jan. 12, 1905, Canadian Patent No. 686,819 of Medow, issued May 19, 1964, Canadian Patent No. 385,572 of Wardle, issued Apr. 19, 1939 and Canadian laid-open Patent Application Ser. No. 2,022,601 of Francis, filed, Aug. 2, 1990. However, none of these references is directed towards an apparatus and method capable of use in the installation of a composite building panel similar to that of applicant's co-pending Canadian patent application.